Baby Light
}} The Baby Light (ベビー・ライト) is a Japanese 3×4 camera using 127 film, made by Ōhashi Kōki Seisakusho and distributed by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten in 1936 and 1937. Dates: advertisements mentioned in , p.342. Description The Baby Light has a metal body and a telescopic tube supporting the lens and shutter assembly. The top and bottom plates are chrome finished. There is a tubular optical finder offset to the right, proudly presented as a "Leica type finder" in an original leaflet. Undated leaflet by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten, presenting the Ōhashi range. and the advance knob is at the left end. There is a knob in the middle of the top plate, probably because it is removable for film loading. All the versions have a fixed-focus lens and a release lever directly placed on the shutter housing. Advertisements No example of the camera has yet been observed, but three different advertisements have been found. In a first leaflet by the distributor Ōhashi Takeji Shōten, Undated leaflet by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten, presenting the Baby Light. a single version is announced with Bulb and Instant shutter settings, sold for ¥7. The document pictures the camera with no lens markings and a plain shutter plate only written BABY RIGHT at the top. The typo is explained by the fact that the "r" and "l" sounds are not distinguished in the Japanese phonology. The picture is so heavily retouched that it is not certain that the camera ever had these markings. Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten and Mizuno Shashinki-ten are mentioned as authorized dealers, and the manufacturer is quoted as Ōhashi Kōki Seisakusho. In an advertisement in April 1937 Advertisement reproduced in , p.100. and in another undated leaflet by Ōhashi, Undated leaflet by Ōhashi Takeji Shōten, presenting the Ōhashi range. two versions were listed: * RR lens, single 1/25 speed ( ); * Genira Special f/6.3 lens, Genira shutter, B, 25, 50, 100 speeds The leaflet indicates a T setting that is absent in the pictures. ( ). The pictures show the f/6.3 version. The shutter plate is marked GENIRA–SHUTTER at the top and OKS at the bottom. The same markings are visible on the version of the Roll Light Ref pictured in the same documents. ("OKS" probably stands for Ohashi Koki Seisakusho.) The leaflet indicates that the Baby Light weighs 220 grams and that the fixed-focus lens allows to take pictures down to 2 metres. It also mentions that the company was clearing the stocks and applying a 50% discount to the Baby Light and Roll Light Ref. Notes Bibliography * Item 288. * Ōhashi Takeji Shōten (大橋武治商店). Leaflet for the Baby Light and the Cross filters and hood. Date not indicated. Document partly reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr. * Ōhashi Takeji Shōten (大橋武治商店). Leaflet for the Hope, Seves, Baby Light, Roll Light Ref, Bosch enlarging lens, Cross filters and Riken hood. Date not indicated. Document partly reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr. The Baby Light is not listed in . Category: Japanese 3x4 viewfinder Category: B Light, Baby Category: 1936